The Act of Bringing Them Together
by Catinslumber
Summary: Anybody can tell that Doumeki and Watanuki are, well, made or destined for each other. Even spirits. Especially this spirit. Obviously a DouWata fic.
1. Act 1

Disclaimer: xxxHolic does not belong to me and I gained nothing but the pleasure of writing the fics.

If you detest reading about boy boy pairings then I suggest you turn back now.

* * *

Watanuki gripped the edge of the low coffee table as he buckled to the floor, his knees too weak to support his weight. Pressing a palm to his forehead, he gasped when another bolt of pain shot through his head and his body trembled violently under it.

"Watanuki!"

Struggling to breathe, Watanuki forced himself to raise his eyes to the anxious cry of his name. His vision was beginning to blur and he could hardly make out the sturdy figure trapped in front of him.

Unable to withstand it any longer, he saw a blurred image of the floor rushing up to greet him and a dull thud.

"_Watanuki Kimihiro…" _was all he heard as he slipped into the dark abyss.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Murmured voices could be heard faintly through the darkness. Watanuki furrowed his brows and willed the irritating murmurs to go away so he could go back to slumber. The murmurs paused but before Watanuki could relish in the silence once more, he was hit repeatedly on his forehead.

"Watanuki! Watanuki!"

Watanuki turned his head, trying to shake off whomever, or whatever was hitting him. When the hitting and name-calling not only cease but grew more incessant, he let off a groan but his eyes refused to open.

The hitting stopped promptly and this time, Watanuki heard a low deep voice call him. Frowning at the familiarity of it, Watanuki felt compelled to answer the voice. His eyes slowly creaked open then instantly close them again as the brightness blinded him momentarily. Feeling a shadow looming behind his closed eyelids and effectively blocking the piercing light, he cracked open blue eyes and blinked fuzzily a couple of times before focusing on the person and a black lump in front of him.

Dark eyes stared back at him, as if searching for something on Watanuki's face.

"D-Doumeki?"

"Ah our sleeping beauty's finally awaken!" Yuuko's voice floated over to him from the doorway.

"Watanuki, are you all right?" Mokona peered at his face.

Frowning slightly, Watanuki attempted to prop himself up and glanced at the occupants of the room before asking "What happened?"

Doumeki studied him carefully. "You don't remember?"

The frown on Watanuki's forehead deepened and he forced his fuzzy brain to bring him back to the events which had occurred earlier. They had been on another mission by Yuuko-san, yes, and he remembered coming to an old Victorian mansion with Doumeki.

The mansion was huge and desolated and looked every bit the perfect setting for a detective horror story if not for the front garden. The land was barren yet there was what could be considered a strange sight for such a neglected piece of property.

Flowers.

Flowers of every colour and every kind were growing across the entire garden. Watanuki remembered threading through the flowers and walking through the front door of the mansion. The inside looked surprisingly normal, with no indication that spirits had chosen to ransack and create havoc the place as what the owner had told Yuuko-san.

However, Watanuki knew better than to trust his eyes. He could detect the presence of them, though not very strong but it was definitely there. He recalled telling Doumeki that whatever was here was upstairs and both had ventured up till they stopped in front of the second room.

Watanuki's headache protested loudly at the memory after that and he fell back against the futon with a groan.

"I don't remember anything after we went upstairs of that house," he informed them. Yuuko made no sign that she was about to unravel any mystery to Watanuki and merely gave him a half-smile.

"Rest well, Watanuki," she beckoned Doumeki and Mokona out of the room.

When the door slid closed, Doumeki turned to the dimensional witch. "What's wrong with Watanuki? That spirit attacked him and vanished. You should know an explanation for this."

Yuuko turned her head to the sky and didn't answer for a moment. "Well, we just have to wait and see now, don't we?" Bringing her face close to the boy in front of her, she gave another mysterious smile. "Take care of him now. Oh but remember one thing. Watanuki has many inner feelings that he has yet come to terms with, that even he himself might not wished to admit."

----------------------------------------------------

When Watanuki opened his eyes again, it was already night. His headache was gone and he felt so much better. Groping to his side for his spectacles, he placed them back on his face and sat up.

A presence caught his attention to his right. Doumeki was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed, apparently asleep. Watanuki silently watched the slow rising and falling of the archer's chest, his slow rhythmic breathing silent as he slept.

It was a cold autumn night, and the weather was about to change to winter anytime soon. 'Doesn't this blockhead feel cold sleeping on the floor like that?' Watanuki frowned as he got up and took an extra blanket from the wardrobe. Padding across the room to Doumeki, he kneeled down and draped the blanket over the archer.

Now, Watanuki had no idea why he just displayed that moment of affection. The correct Watanuki manner would be to ignore then gloat at the archer's weakness if he did feel cold and smirked his ass off.

Not _drape _a warm blanket over him.

If that wasn't strange enough, Watanuki found himself observing the archer's face. That tanned, slightly squared jaw, the relaxed lines around his eyes, that taut muscles on his neck… that soft warm lips that feels so good under Watanuki's own lips right now…

Wait.

Was he actually _kissing _Doumeki? Watanuki's eyes flew open (since when had he closed them anyway…) and saw dark golden eyes staring right back.

Instantly Watanuki pulled away and landed on his bottom in front of Doumeki.

"I… that… that was… I…" he spluttered, unable to form any coherent reasoning for his out-of-this-world behaviour.

Doumeki didn't speak a word nor did he move an inch. He remained in his position and stared at the now bright red Watanuki.

Quite suddenly, before Watanuki could process what was going on, Doumeki pounced and captured Watanuki's lips with his own fully.

* * *

Reviews are what propel authors to write more. :) I adore DouWata fics so tell me what you think k?

Catinslumber


	2. Act 2

Disclaimer: xxxHolic does not belong to me. Duh.

A/N: I truly appreciate every one of the reviews left for this story. :) Thank you so much guys! If this chap bores you guys, I'm really sorry. bows it's kinda… ranting. Eeks.

* * *

Watanuki was shocked, to say the least. He was shocked not only because of Doumeki's sudden kiss-attack, but of his _own_ reaction.

Somewhere in his head, he has expected a voice to start screaming at him to pull away, to tell him that this was wrong so that he would listen to it and break the kiss.

But his mind was strangely silent, in fact it was all fogged up and Watanuki could hardly figure out if his head was still connected to the rest of his body, much less resist Doumeki's strong arms.

The said strong arms was currently wrapped around Watanuki's slender frame, loose to escape from but tight enough to let Watanuki feel their warmth. And the archer's lips were turning Watanuki into putty. The kiss had a tinge of desperation but was gentle enough to not scare the other boy.

As Doumeki's tongue came into contact with Watanuki's, the latter released a soft groan. Immediately, Watanuki snapped his eyes open, taken aback by the sound and even more shocked that _he_ was the source of it.

He pulled away from the kiss like he had just received some static shock and struggled to escape from the embrace. Doumeki released him and he instantly moved to maintain a distance between the two of them.

'_Wha…what the hell am I doing?_' Watanuki pressed the back of his hand to his lips and stared at the still silent archer warily.

As he struggled to come up with at least some coherent explanation that could dispel the heavy awkward air that had settled in the room, Doumeki didn't give him any chance.

Giving Watanuki one last look, he got up and strode out of the room without a word, sliding the door close behind him.

* * *

Doumeki walked purposefully down the hallway, the pounding of his heart ringing in his ears. He ignored his wild heart but he could not stop the images from replaying in his mind.

The feel of Watanuki in his arms, the lips moving slowly against his… it was all so vivid and unreal.

Doumeki knew he shouldn't have done that. Even if Watanuki had been the one to initiate the kiss. Scaring Watanuki was the last thing on Doumeki's agenda, if it was even on the list at all. The boy obviously has issues with him, or at the fact that they were both boys.

He didn't want Watanuki to start avoiding him. He had done, and will continue to do all he can to keep Watanuki safe and unharmed.

The look on Watanuki's face when he bolted from the kiss sent the message across to Doumeki clearly.

He hadn't planned it. Hell, he probably hadn't even _wanted_ it.

His feet stopped walking when he reached the entrance of the temple. The breeze that was picking up felt cool against his heated skin and Doumeki sat down on the steps to take a much needed breather.

He didn't know how long he had been sitting there thinking, until he felt a presence behind him. His usually alert radar apparently didn't pick up the soft footsteps making its way towards him until it was a few inches from him.

Watanuki was standing there, looking at anywhere and everywhere except at the archer. He kept his eyes downcast and those blue eyes darted around. Fidgeting perceptibly, he seemed to struggle for the words to say.

"Erm… I… that is… er…" Watanuki looked ready to bolt from his place as he shuffled his feet a few times.

Doumeki kept his gaze steady on the smaller boy, aware that his stoic face was the usual emotionless mask. Something in him snapped and he felt a certain irritation for the stuttering boy in front of him.

If he didn't do something, Watanuki could be acting like this for god knows how long, and might even start avoiding him like plague. So even if it meant incurring Watanuki's wrath, it was still a better choice.

He got up to his full height and stood towering over the now surprised Watanuki, his gaze never leaving his eyes. A determination fire was ignited in him and he made sure that Watanuki could see that determination in his eyes.

Watanuki gulped visibly and took a few small tentative steps back.

"I'm not going to apologize."

Watanuki blinked. "Wha…what?"

Doumeki tilted his head slightly, the urge to smirk was overpowering. "You heard me. I said I'm not going to apologize. Not now, not ever."

Watanuki opened and closed his mouth a few times, bearing an uncanny resemblance to a fish at the moment.

"I don't care if you were possessed or acting under the will of some spirit or even drunk, I will find a way to drive whatever is residing in you away and then properly kissing you senseless again."

Watanuki's face was now a full-blown crimson red but Doumeki wasn't finished.

"And just so you remember, _you _were the one who kissed me first. So you have no one to blame but yourself, really."

"……"

"WHAT?! YOU JERK!"

* * *

A slender figure could be seen walking, no, marching down the pavement, each step literally stomping on the ground as the figure huffed in annoyance.

He stopped suddenly in mid-stride, let out a frustrated yell and attempted at pulling his hair out. Pedestrians started and instantly kept a wide berth, parents hurrying their kids along with hushed whispers of "don't look at the crazy person".

No prizes for the correct guesses to the identity of the 'crazy person.'

Watanuki Kimihiro was mad. Hopping mad to be precise. He was ready to kill someone, a certain someone that is nothing but a big fat bull-headed jerk! Oh, how he longed to stab that perverted idiot with a needle so as to bestow a slow agonizing death to him.

"Argh! The _nerve _of him! What right does he have? Acting so high and mighty after _kissing_ me like that…" Watanuki trailed off, a small blush staining his cheeks as he realized what he was saying.

However, Watanuki had to admit, albeit grudgingly, that Doumeki was right in one point.

He _had _been the one who kissed Doumeki first.

He let out yet another frustrated yell and continued his march. He didn't know why the hell he would do something this stupid. Oh wait, he knew alright, or at least had a strong suspicion why.

He also knew Yuuko-san could tell him everything he wanted to know, or possibly give him a solution. But he was also aware that Yuuko would slap on him yet another hefty price on his tab.

And besides, if he asked Yuuko-san, he would also have to tell her about the kiss with Doumeki and Watanuki would quite frankly rather drowned himself than do that. He could almost envisage her teasing him relentlessly about it and there was no way Watanuki was going to go through that.

"Watanuki is here! Watanuki is here!"

Blinking, Watanuki looked up at the sound of Moro and Maru and realized that he had reached Yuuko's shop.

The dimensional witch was standing in the doorway waiting for him when he entered the house. Dressed in a long flowery yukata, she cocked her head and seemed to study Watanuki for a few moments.

Watanuki cast her a wary glance but before he could greet her, she leaned forward till her face was a couple of inches from Watanuki's. "Are you feeling better, Watanuki?"

Watanuki averted his gaze hastily. "O-of course I am. Now, if you'd excuse me, I have to get to work before you dock my pay for being lazy." He moved to get past Yuuko and into the house.

"Aw, don't be so mean Watanuki! I was just making sure Doumeki was taking good care of you. You really should appreciate his hospitality, you know."

Watanuki couldn't help but snort. "Hospitality, my ass! He's just a idiotic, per – " He stopped himself before he could go on any further. He couldn't risk letting Yuuko knew about what happened in his house.

"Whatever." Quickly he strode down the hallway into the kitchen, to avoid any more conversations about Doumeki's 'hospitality'.

* * *

Yuuko watched the young boy scurry into the kitchen and a knowing smile graced her lips. This could turn out quite well, she thought to herself. If only Watanuki knew, everything was only the beginning.

* * *

Reply to unsigned review:

**Shakari**: I'm really glad u liked it. Thankews man!

Catinslumber


	3. Act 3

Disclaimer: As per norm, I don't own xxxHolic.

* * *

The night sky was dotted with little twinkling stars, looking like diamonds on black velvet with a full moon hanging proudly next to them. Yuuko raised a sake cup to her lips and enjoyed the warm sake running down her throat. Releasing a satisfied sigh, she placed the cup back down and looked across at her visitor.

"Everything's going well, I trust?" Yuuko cocked her head slightly, a bemused smile adorning her features.

Her visitor took a long drag on a pipe stick. "Of course, it's just starting though, just wait and see."

Yuuko refilled her sake cup and raised it high in toast. "Here's to affinity then."

* * *

Early the next morning, there was a knock on the door. Watanuki looked up from his chopping board and wondered who would call upon him this early in the day. A quick glance to his wall clock showed that it was ten minutes to eight.

The knocks on the door started again. "Hai, coming!" Watanuki placed his knife back on the chopping board and walked to open the door.

Doumeki Shizuka stood outside the door dressed in a coat that was wrapped securely around him, his left arm crooked awkwardly around what seemed like a huge bulge inside his coat. "About time you opened the door."

Watanuki blinked and began to huff in annoyance. "Well, excuse me for _walking_ to the door! Who the hell do you think you are? And what the hell are you doing here thi…"

A soft gurgle emitting from Doumeki stopped Watanuki in mid-rant. Surprised, Watanuki stared at the bulge that was now wiggling about. A tuff of dark hair appeared first, before a cherubic face peered out of Doumeki's coat, green eyes staring in wonder at Watanuki.

Doumeki took the baby out of his warm haven and shifted him in his arms so he was in a more comfortable position.

Watanuki blinked at the sight. "A baby?"

"I found him in a basket in front of the temple this morning. There was a note with him, asking that this baby be taken care of first and that he will soon be taken back," Doumeki explained, handing the note over to Watanuki and trying to keep it out of reach of the inquisitive baby.

Watanuki took the note and studied it carefully.

'I am entrusting my child in your care for the time being. As I am facing great peril at the moment, I have no choice but to leave my baby in a safe place elsewhere. I have come across your temple on many occasions and have found it to be one of great solace. Since I have no one else to turn to, I sincerely hope that you can take care of this child until I return.'

There was no name on the note, just the request that Doumeki had mentioned.

By the time he lowered the note, Doumeki had walked past him and into the apartment, looking around for a place to put the baby down.

"Then? If this baby was found in _your_ temple, why did you bring him here?" Watanuki asked suspiciously.

Doumeki settled the baby down on an easy chair and turned to shrug at the other boy. "Well, I figured since you were of housewife material, you could take better care of the baby."

"H-housewife material?!" Watanuki sputtered indignantly.

Doumeki gave him a bored look. "You can cook and clean, can't you?"

"B-but!!" Watanuki was about to retort something rude back when the baby began to wail.

Doumeki stared at the child. Spotting the bewildered flicker in Doumeki's features, Watanuki sighed and walked over to pick up the crying baby. "There, there," he cooed and checked if the diaper was soiled. Finding it still quite clean, he passed the baby over to Doumeki. "He's probably hungry."

He walked to his kitchen to warm up some milk. Digging through his cabinet, he found a suitable water bottle and filled it with the milk. He returned to the room where the baby began to drink up his breakfast greedily.

After he emptied the whole bottle, the baby's eyelids began to droop. Snuggling into Doumeki's warmth, he grabbed onto Doumeki's shirt and slowly drifted off to sleep.

When Watanuki returned once again from washing the bottle, he found the baby sleeping soundly in the archer's arms. The archer was unconsciously rocking the child and staring down at his face.

As Watanuki took in the sight of Doumeki gently holding a baby to sleep in his arms, a familiar strangeness began to overcome him. He felt compelled to walk towards the archer and began to take slow tentative steps. In his mind, he was well aware of what he was doing but couldn't summon up enough reason or strength to resist.

By the time he was at Doumeki's side, the archer had realized that Watanuki was just a breath's away. "Oi, Watanuki."

Watanuki glanced down at the sleeping baby and stroke his soft hair. Bringing his eyes up again, he stared into Doumeki's ones and his heart started to race. His conscious mind was completely blank yet his subconscious mind couldn't be more alert.

Watanuki again waited for his sub-consciousness to berate or give him a few jolts but there was nothing. And then, he realized that the archer's lips were now gently brushing against his own.

Closing his eyes, Watanuki pressed his lips against Doumeki and leaned into the kiss.

* * *

A/n: Erm… yes the baby's there for a reason. Abit strange maybe but wad the heck. I thank all you reviewers and readers of my story sincerely. (bows) Please do keep them coming in yeah?

Oh and sorry for a short chap after being on a month-plus hiatus. I had to try and update this story.


	4. Act 4

Disclaimer: Don't own xxxholic. Duh.

* * *

Surprisingly, well maybe not that surprising, Doumeki took charge of the kiss. Moving his lips softly but firmly, he made sure to capture all of Watanuki's lips. 

Watanuki felt as if his desires were answered, like an alcoholic craving for beer and got it, and he responded to the kiss in his own awkward manner.

Doumeki took advantage of Watanuki's compliance and pressed his hand on the latter's back to close the distance as much as possible without squashing the sleeping baby in between them.

This time, before Doumeki had a chance to touch any part of his tongue to his lips, Watanuki had pulled away abruptly. The archer opened his eyes and blinked in surprise at the sudden loss of contact.

He paused, half-expecting the outburst of outrage of modesty from the other boy. When none came, he started, "Watanuki…"

Watanuki got up quickly, keeping his head lowered and turned so as to avoid meeting the archer's gaze. "I… I need to go back to cooking."

Then he strode away and disappeared into the kitchen. Doumeki was left still staring at his wake but before he could ponder any longer on the matter, a soft sound alerted him to the warm bundle to his arms.

He glanced down to the bright green eyes of the baby, who was obviously very much awake. The baby gave a giggle and Doumeki could have sworn he saw a twinkle in those captivating eyes.

"Hey, you little brat. Did you see what you're not supposed to see?" Doumeki lifted the baby up and took hold of the little fists that were trying to grab at his hair. The baby giggled again and started to pull at Doumeki's shirt.

"You want to see Watanuki?" Doumeki got up from the couch and carried the baby on his left arm. As much as Doumeki knew that was a lousy excuse to go see Watanuki, he ignored the sneering thought and stood in the doorway of the kitchen.

Watanuki had donned on his apron and was standing before the stove, stirring something in the pot. Doumeki padded across the small kitchen and leaned over Watanuki's shoulder. "Breakfast?"

Watanuki jumped and nearly sent the ladle flying. He shot an accusatory glare at the archer and yelled, "Don't creep up behind me like that!"

Doumeki ignored him and kept his gaze on the bubbling pot. The baby squirmed for a while then stretched out both his little arms towards Watanuki. "Gah…bah…bah…" he said incoherently, looking intently at Watanuki and waiting to be carried.

Watanuki blinked for a moment, then set his ladle down and took the baby from Doumeki. The baby chortled happily and snuggled into Watanuki while Doumeki looked on in amusement.

"I was right. You have affinities with infants."

Watanuki glared. "Shut up. And don't slack off! Breakfast is ready, grab some bowls and ladle out the stew! Lazy bum!" he strode off, the baby tucked securely in his arms.

* * *

"Ooh look! Isn't he adorable?" 

"Ooo yes! How cute! They look good together."

"Ne, ne… isn't he a bit young?"

Watanuki tried to ignore the cooing and whispering and continued to choose spring onions from the crate.

"That person there… do you think they could be…?"

"Really? You think so? Maybe they adopted the baby or something…"

Watanuki grimaced. It was impossible to tune out the whispering and gossiping obviously targeted at them.

Two guys and a baby who was drawing adoring looks from every female in the supermarket.

Watanuki groaned. He knew it was a bad idea.

"Oi. You done with those spring onions? You're choosing vegetables, not a prospective partner."

Of course it was a bad idea.

Watanuki grabbed a stalk of spring onions and pointed it at Doumeki. "Stop emitting pheromones here! Just go home will you? Why the hell did you have to tag along in the first place?"

Doumeki didn't flinch. He walked calmly over to the meat section, grabbed some packed beef and dumped it unceremoniously in Watanuki's basket. "Because I'm choosing my dinner."

The yells of audacity that followed had the gossipers around them dispersed immediately. The baby seemed a little startled and he clutched tightly onto Doumeki's shirt, lips quivering.

Watanuki felt a little guilty. "Fine. For the sake of the little guy, I'm letting you have your way for now." He grumbled and continued to shuffle around the supermarket

Watanuki was getting a little more jumpy than usual. Judging from his erratic behaviour these past few weeks, he knew he was in a more or less unstable state and he wasn't sure when he was going to 'act up' again.

However, things only seemed to act up when Doumeki was around and it seemed that this bizarre behaviour was occurring more and more frequently. And plus he was losing more and more power to resist.

This could be dangerous, he thought to himself as they walked out of the supermarket and began heading to his home in the dusk light. 'What if I do something extremely stupid in front of Himawari-chan? Argh!'

"Oi, Watanuki."

Startled by the sudden voice breaking through his rambling thoughts, Watanuki turned annoyed to Doumeki.

Then realized why the archer had suddenly called out with a slight urgency in his tone.

Their surroundings had completely darkened. It was like someone had draped a black translucent cloth over the setting sun. The outline of the street was blurry and the temperature had dropped by a notch.

If Doumeki could see it, it couldn't be something spiritual right? Watanuki froze and glanced around the area which seemed to be darkening by the second.

Then a breeze began to pick up. The wind got stronger and stronger and Watanuki saw a black ball of what looked like mist suspended in front of him. The ball increased in size tremendously, swirling and spiraling until it got bigger than the both of them.

Watanuki backtracked in fright and looked to the archer. Doumeki was frowning as he watched the growing black mass. Before the archer could open his mouth, Watanuki was swept off his feet.

Yelling out in shock, he kicked furiously in mid air as he got lifted higher and higher. Doumeki instantly rushed forward to grab him but failed to reach him. Watanuki could only watch on helplessly as he got sucked into the black mass.

The last thing he saw was Doumeki running towards him, arms outstretched and his yell of Watanuki's name fell silent upon his ears.

Then everything went black.

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry, I don't do baby talk. 

Thank you so much for the reviews. Will try to get the next chap up sooner instead of the somewhat long hiatus.


	5. Act 5

When Doumeki came to, he couldn't see anything.

Blinking a couple of times, he got up and realized he could see himself perfectly. So it wasn't because the area was engulfed in darkness, his surroundings were the ones that were pitch black.

He couldn't see Watanuki anywhere. When he saw the boy being sucked in by that huge black ball, his first imminent thought was to save him and he had immediately jumped in after Watanuki.

He must have passed out because he didn't remember what happened next.

Worry rose in him as he began to walk aimlessly.

"Watanuki! Watanuki! Wata…"

Wait. Where was the baby? He was certain he was still carrying him when they saw that thing appear.

He blinked and shook his head. The darkness was getting to him. He continued to walk, not knowing where he was heading but knowing that he had to find Watanuki and the baby. Fast.

"_Doumeki Shizuka…_"

The soft sound alerted him and he froze momentarily in his tracks. Someone was calling his name. He swiveled around but he couldn't see anything.

"_Doumeki Shizuka…_"

There it was again. Who or what is that?

"_Hurry, Doumeki Shizuka…hurry…_ _he needs you…go!"_

Doumeki felt chilled to his bones. Anxiety was building up in him and he broke into a run.

He didn't know where he was running to. It doesn't matter. He needed to get to Watanuki. Watanuki… where is he?

The soft voice was ringing in his ears and the chilling feeling didn't go away.

Suddenly, up ahead, he caught sight of something bright. A light. The light was getting bigger but not any brighter.

He quickened his footsteps and could now make out two outlines.

Watanuki was hovering horizontally laid out, like a magician hypnotizing his subject, encased in a cocoon of light. The spirit was hovering next to him, greed and lust overpowering everything else. It froze suddenly and snapped its head up, noticing Doumeki's presence.

Doumeki narrowed his eyes and raised his arms, getting ready to shoot.

"_You! Get away! I only want this boy!_" the spirit shrieked and started to charge right towards Doumeki.

Doumeki had no time to fire his arrow. With a surprised gasp, he was thrown off his feet by a bone-chilling strong force and he landed a few feet away.

Suppressing a groan, Doumeki attempted to get up, his eyes flickering over to make sure Watanuki was still there.

The spirit seemed disgusted by Doumeki's feeble attempt and began to charge angrily at him again.

Doumeki raised his arms once again in his firing stance and this time managed to fire the spiritual arrow. The spirit dodged and with another maniacal screech, shot towards him and Doumeki felt intense pain on his left side.

Wincing, he fell to the ground and clutched his side. It felt wet and sticky and the pain seemed intensifying. He was bleeding profusely.

This time, the spirit seemed satisfied and floated towards the unconscious Watanuki, wanting to finish its business.

Doumeki breathed heavily and willed himself to get up. The pain was making him light-headed and he summoned his willpower not to succumb to it. He clenched his jaw and staggered towards the light again.

Watanuki. He had to save Watanuki.

The spirit sneered as it looked at Doumeki, trembling and shaking as he held the spiritual bow.

"_You don't even have the strength to stand, let alone use your spiritual power. You cannot save him! The boy is mine! _ "

Something snapped in Doumeki. He narrowed his eyes as he held the bowstring tight in place.

"Get away from Watanuki."

The arrow was released with its tremendous spiritual energy but the spirit only narrowed its eyes and the arrow immediately shattered into nothingness.

"_Give it up, human. This boy here is mine. You cannot harm me._"

Doumeki didn't give up. He fired another arrow, then another arrow. The arrows only made it halfway before it dispersed like dandelions in the wind. He dropped his arms and stared at the spirit. This was not any ordinary spirit and Doumeki was beginning to feel at a loss. There must be a way to save Watanuki.

"What do you want before you agree to let Watanuki go?"

The spirit let off a laugh. "_You want to strike a deal with me?_" It narrowed its eyes and studied Doumeki. Doumeki stood his ground, determined to do anything it takes to save Watanuki.

"_Very well. This boy here is very valuable to us non-humans. If you can withstand my powers, I'll deem you fit enough to talk terms with me._"

There was a burst of light and Doumeki shielded his eyes and squinted as his surroundings took form and he was plunged into arctic atmosphere.

It seemed he was in an icy cold cave, with sharp pointed icicles forming from the top. The icicles were compact and clusters of them were so low that Doumeki would have to duck down if he were to walk.

The icy prison gave off a claustrophobic aura for the top and sides of the cave almost seemed to be leaning towards the center. The entire place was made out of ice and the area was enclosed and dark till it almost seemed blue.

Mist formed as Doumeki breathed. The area had to be degrees below zero and he could almost feel the cold seeping in through layers of his clothing and skin till he could almost feel it in his bones.

"_This place is sealed with my powers. Find the seal and try to break free. If you do succeed, I'll let your friend go. Of course if you are smart enough to give up before you lose your life in this icy grave, I'll let you go. But your friend will stay with me._"

Doumeki grimaced. There was no way in hell he was going to give up Watanuki to this psycho thing. A soft burst of light alerted him and Doumeki looked up to see a translucent image of a wide-eyed Watanuki staring in horror at him.

"_I have decided to let your friend here witness his foolish human companion's act. Because this could well be the last time he'll see you alive._"

Watanuki was saying something anxiously but Doumeki could not hear him. Seeming to realize this, Watanuki turned to pounding furiously in his own prison and started mouthing again.

How many times have he seen Watanuki land himself in danger? His life's journey was fraught with the burden, the curse, which he's carrying, since the time he was born.

For most of his life, he had to fend himself from the residents of the netherworld alone and yet the boy in front of him remains strong-spirited, brave and kind, enduring the hardships and the pain quietly

No one notices Watanuki. Probably no one can empathize with him because they do not carry the same burden, are not constantly yearned by spirits as if he was some delicious food.

Yet Watanuki puts others before himself. He would do everything within his power, even if it meant costing his life, for others. Doumeki could go nuts trying to convince him otherwise.

He stared at the now panic-stricken Watanuki still pounding and yelling silently. He wanted this boy to rely on him, wanted this boy to turn to him for solace. He knew he could protect Watanuki for the blood that runs in him dispels the things that Watanuki hated so much. And he resolved to do just that. He was not going to let Watanuki Kimhiro be alone.

Doumeki turned his gaze away. He was determined to break through this and nothing could stand in his way. Not even some powerful psychotic spirit that took pleasure in others' pain. Well it wasn't going to get any from him.

He began trudging through the small cave, ducking his way through long winding tunnels of ice. There were different openings that seemed to lead even deeper in. As Doumeki made his way through, he flexed his fingers constantly to made sure they weren't about to fall off. The air felt frozen in the icy cave and Doumeki willed himself not to think of the coldness.

The time soon felt like hours and Doumeki was beginning to feel numb. The coldness seemed to have numbed out some of the pain from his wound. However, it did not stop the bleeding completely.

Doumeki's brow was covered in cold sweat and he occasionally needed support from the icy walls as he walked. But he couldn't see any clue which led him to find the seal and he wasn't sure how long he could hold out if he still couldn't find it.

He looked up and saw Watanuki looking at him, deep worry manifested in those blue eyes of his. It gave him the renewed confidence and he paced on, Watanuki firmly planted in his mind.

Soon, he began to notice that everytime he came upon different openings, there would be one opening that would be narrower and had long sharp icicles forming from the top.

Deciding to give it a shot, Doumeki chose to walk through all such openings. Before long, he notice that was something glowing at the end of one narrow tunnel. He picked up his pace and came face to face with a large, glowing dome-shaped barrier.

The bright light reflected off all the icy walls and everything was white and sparkling. Inside the barrier was the light source, which Doumeki presumed must be the seal that he was searching for.

Now all he had to do was break the seal. He gritted his teeth and breathed deeply. The biting cold and loss of blood from the gaping wound was draining away his energy.

Watanuki was still staring anxiously at him, brow furrowed and forehead creased in worry. Watanuki needed him. He was the only one who could protect him and saved Watanuki from all the dangers that he gets into day and night.

He had to get Watanuki out safely.

Clenching his jaw, he straightened out and got into his firing stance. He narrowed his eyes in concentration, wanting to build up all his spiritual energy into the arrow so he can get it over in one single shot.

With his mind still fixated on Watanuki's safety, he released the arrow along with massive amount of spiritual energy. The seal broke with a sudden blinding light and the icy cold cave vanished.

Watanuki appeared hovering in front of him and the cocoon of light around him disappeared and he began to fall. Doumeki instinctively lunged forward and grabbed him before he could hit the ground.

He fell to the ground, using his body to support Watanuki and began to breathe heavily. He felt Watanuki moving on his heaving chest and watched through half-lidded eyes, relieved as Watanuki sat up, blinking around before noticing Doumeki's bloody situation.

"Doumeki! Oi, Doumeki!!"

Doumeki felt the shaking and the familiar voice call out his name in urgency, but he couldn't seem to respond. Slowly, he closed his eyes and slipped away to darkness once again.

* * *

A/n: really appreciate all the reviews that were left. Thank you so much. Reviews brighten any author's day. 

Keep them coming? (smiles)


	6. Act 6

Sore.

He felt as if his body was dragged through a stampede of horses. The ache, pain and soreness seemed to render him motionless as he slowly came to his senses.

Slowly, he became conscious of his breathing. Then felt the softness under his back. It was silent around him. He opened his eyes slowly and blinked a couple of times till a ceiling came into focus.

Turning his head, he saw a hunched up figure beside his futon, knees drawn up and pressed closed to the chest.

Memories from the fight with the spirit seeped back into his mind and he immediately took a better look at the figure, feeling some of his ache lift off.

As if sensing the eyes on him, the figure turned his shadowed face cautiously towards the futon. The figure moved closer to him and Doumeki studied his face.

Without any second thoughts, he asked the first thing that popped into his mind.

"Are you hurt?"

There was a short sharp intake of breath and a pale shaking hand slowly stretched out towards him.

Doumeki instantly felt worry rising in him but before he could say anything, tear-filled mismatched eyes came into sight and Watanuki snapped.

"You big idiot!"

Watanuki lunged towards the archer and pressed trembling but firm lips on his own.

Doumeki was shocked. Granted it wasn't the first time Watanuki had spring such an attack on him but the previous kisses were nothing like that. Doumeki could feel it all the way to his bones.

Watanuki was now kissing him with parted lips and his movements were desperate in an attempt to deepen the kiss.

Doumeki was well aware of the tear-stricken face and felt the wetness and the soft lips that were trembling badly. Wanting to calm the boy down, he wrapped his arms around Watanuki and pressed the boy closer to his body.

With that yielding slender frame tightly in his embrace and those soft lips kissing him like there was no tomorrow, Doumeki knew that he could not stop.

He responded and took charge, tilting Watanuki's head and deepening the kiss with a fierce passion. Doumeki wanted to kiss the trembles away and he swept his tongue across Watanuki's lips and slipped into the willing warm cavern.

Watanuki released a soft moan and moved his own tongue to meet the archer's. Their mouths were meshed together in a deep passionate kiss and Doumeki was drinking in whatever sounds Watanuki was emitting.

Doumeki began to shift his attention to other areas. He kissed a hot trail from Watanuki's chin up his jaw line, nibbled gently on the boy's ear and nipped his way down the pale neck.

Watanuki moaned a little and wrapped his arms tighter around Doumeki's neck. Doumeki, though lost in the throes of passion, was well aware of this submissive Watanuki. And hell was he not turned on by the small gasps and sounds from the body that had lost some of its trembling.

He moved his lips to Watanuki's throat and kissed down to the small area of exposed collarbone and sucked gently on the skin. Watanuki's breathing was becoming a little heavy and Doumeki went up to take those soft lips once again.

He broke the kiss softly and stared as Watanuki opened his glazed eyes. Doumeki held his breath a little and tensed, waiting for Watanuki to bolt from his arms as he usually does when he realized he has done more than just a brush of lips.

But Watanuki remained where he was and Doumeki leaned forward, a little surprised and instantly groaned at the sharp pain raking his side.

Watanuki's eyes widened with worry and touched his bandaged area gently with his fingers.

"Does it hurt very badly?"

Doumeki grunted, not one to voice out his pain.

Watanuki drew in a shaky breath.

"I…I thought you… you were gone… I didn't know what to do… Yu-Yuuko-san said… said you were injured badly… I…"

Doumeki felt an ache that had nothing to do with his wound and he took hold of Watanuki's fingers that were beginning to tremble again.

"Why? Why the hell did you go do a stupid thing like that?" Watanuki was starting to rattle. "You could have… you could have died! This is not like the hydrangeas incident! This is… this is mad! You…"

Doumeki kissed him again and Watanuki made a small sound of restrain but made no other objections. This is a much better way to shut him up, Doumeki thought. He slide his hand down Watanuki's side to rest on his hips, moved it sensually behind and –

"Ne, ne, has Doumeki woken up yet?"

Doumeki groaned inwardly and the boy in his arms tensed up at the voice.

As the door slide open, Watanuki had already leapt from his lap and was now a fair distance away from him.

"Ah, you're awake, Doumeki!" the black Mokona bounced in and noted with much curiosity Watanuki awkwardly at the corner.

Yuuko poked her head from the doorway. "You're looking well, the both of you! I can see the… vitality!" she gave a small smirk as Watanuki seemed to burn right down to his toes.

She glanced over to Doumeki. "You need to rest well. That was quite a blow to your body."

Something else clicked in Doumeki's mind. "Where's the baby?"

"He's fine. We brought him back to the temple with us." Mokona said.

Doumeki watched as Watanuki got to his feet. "I'll go check on him." He quickly fled the room.

"We'll leave you to rest then." Yuuko announced cheerfully and left the room, Mokona in tow.

---------------------

Watanuki's feet seemed to be walking on their own. Soft gurgles made him raise his head and he saw the baby on a cushion. The baby let out a toothy grin and stretched a chubby arm out towards Watanuki. 

Watanuki merely took notice as he picked up him up. His mind was still reeling from before. Those hot arousing kisses were burned onto his lips, skin and mind permanently. He had no idea he could display such wanton lust around a person he hated.

Or at least, he thought he hated.

"Deep in thought about Doumeki?"

Watanuki jerked in shock and glared at the leering face of Yuuko.

"Wh-who's thinking of him? Why should I think about that jerk?" he stammered and made a pretext of playing with the baby as he sat him back down on the cushion.

"Hmmmm…" Yuuko straightened up and look at her employee.

"You owe him one again, you know? He did risk his life to save yours and now he's lying in bed with that injury."

"I didn't ask him to risk his life… that idiot…" Watanuki muttered under his breath.

"A fact's a fact. He. Risk. His. Life. For. You. Make sure you thank him _properly_." Yuuko emphasized as she stared at Watanuki straight in the eye.

Watanuki was almost afraid to go near Doumeki again. These rousing feelings were getting stronger and after getting the scare of almost losing the archer, he could hardly control them any longer. He didn't understand why he was feeling this way.

Ok, so maybe he didn't_hate_ Doumeki this much. He just… annoyed him sometimes. Most of the time, maybe. Those kisses… Doumeki had responded didn't he? Does that mean he…?

"Ne, Watanuki."

Watanuki turned to look at Yuuko.

"Sometimes, it's good to listen to your heart. Your mind might have internalized too much of the common sense you see everyday. And as a result, people might not follow the true path that they really want."

Watanuki stared at Yuuko as she walked out of the room, calling out to Mokona to go back.

"Listen to the heart. Somehow that sounds really cliché." Watanuki gazed out to the front porch before the sound of Yuuko's voice jerked him back again.

"Ah yes I nearly forgot. I'll take care of the baby for you in the meantime." She said, walking back towards Watanuki.

"Huh? You? Take care of the baby?" Watanuki stared at her doubtfully.

"What? You think I'm incapable?" Yuuko placed her hands on her hips indignantly. "Doumeki's injured. You need to take care of him. So I'll handle the baby."

"Mokona will help too." Mokona supplied helpfully.

Watanuki knew she had a point there. Not that he's going to actually stay by his side and look after him though. Humph.

--------------------

When they were a distance away from the temple, Yuuko placed the baby down onto the ground. The baby glowed and transformed into raccoon and scampered off into the arms of the approaching person. 

Yuuko smiled gleefully and waved cheerfully at the company. "It went very well! Good job!"

The visitor tossed her head as she stroked the raccoon. "Of course. I was the one who set up the plan after all. My little one here won't fail in its task."

She took another look at Yuuko. "So the dense ones finally got it?"

Yuuko gave a wistful smile. "Not yet. But soon. Very soon."

------------------

* * *

Note: In Japanese legends, a raccoon is one of the animals that have the supernatural powers to transform to anything they desire and can acquire magical abilities. 

A/n: Ok, so my main ultimate aim was smut. I can't help it. More smut obviously in the next chap since its ending. Review to let me know you're still here? (smile)

Thank you so much for all the reviews so far. You've all made my day!!


	7. Act 7

**Note: **Rating has been upped to M. The following chapter contains a (badly written) lemon and should not be read if you are not comfortable with yaoi action or are too young. (below 18?)

* * *

-x-

Watanuki pulled open the sliding door to Doumeki's room, carefully balancing the tray of food in one hand. Doumeki was lying in his futon but opened his eyes when he heard Watanuki entered.

"Here, I made you some porridge." He kneeled by Doumeki, setting the tray down.

Doumeki tried to push himself up with one hand and Watanuki reached out immediately to help him. Sensing eyes firmly locked on him, Watanuki looked up.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Doumeki stared at the boy longer and wondered how he was going to ask him about what had happened earlier on. He had been observing the boy closely these past few days and was quite sure that the boy was not possessed by any spirit.

Sure, those intimate acts were very un-Watanuki-like but the fact that he cared for Watanuki very much should be painfully obvious. But then again, Watanuki can be super dense at times, especially when it comes to matters concerning him.

Watanuki waved his hand in front of his eyes. "What's wrong with you?"

Doumeki leaned down and picked up his bowl of porridge. "I'm hungry."

Watanuki rolled his eyes and huffed. "Aren't you always?"

As Doumeki ate his porridge, Watanuki was watching him carefully and inched a little closer.

"Does it still hurt?" Slender fingers reached out towards the wound, but not quite touching it.

Doumeki shook his head. "I'm fine. I'll survive."

Watanuki fell silent and his eyes were downcast. Doumeki knew the things that were running through Watanuki's mind at the moment. Blaming himself for the misfortune. Behind that loud mouth, Doumeki knew Watanuki was frightened, guilty and worried. He didn't want the boy to carry his burden and journey on alone.

He wanted to at least stay by his side.

He supposed this would be a good time, whether or not he was affected by the spirit.

Setting his bowl down, Doumeki cradled Watanuki's head in his hands. A startled Watanuki looked up and Doumeki wasted no time in leaning forward to kiss those lips.

Doumeki could tell Watanuki had his eyes wide open in shock. However, this time he wasn't going to let the boy get away.

Moving as quickly as his wound would permit, he shifted Watanuki so that the boy was now lying half on the futon, lips never leaving the other.

Watanuki tried to protest and turn his head away a few times, but Doumeki would not hear of it. He slipped his tongue in and teased Watanuki's own as hands travelled to unbutton the shirt.

Watanuki pulled his mouth away with a gasp and pushed at Doumeki. "What are you doing? You're injured for god's sake!"

Doumeki's warm lips slid down to kiss and nip at the neck, as his hands managed to unbutton the shirt and moved to touch the pale skin. He kissed and licked the hollow of the collarbone before sliding down to lick a nipple.

Watanuki moaned and fidgeted, forgetting that he was still trying to stop Doumeki a few seconds ago.

The hands explored his torso and moved lower to work on the pants.

"Dou…Doumeki…" Watanuki breathed and opened his hazy eyes a little to look at the archer. Doumeki moved to kiss him again, this time deeper, hungry and passionate.

Lying there completely exposed and slightly dazed from passion, Doumeki thought Watanuki looked more vulnerable and fragile than ever. The urge to protect and possess him grew and Doumeki took Watanuki's length into his mouth.

Watanuki gasped and clutched at the dark hair between his legs. Doumeki could feel the tremble in the writhing body on the futon and he carefully slid a finger in to prep Watanuki properly. Watanuki moaned and arched his hips off the futon at the pleasurable contact.

"Does it hurt?" Doumeki breathed heavily.

Not quite trusting himself to speak, Watanuki shook his head.

Doumeki dipped his moist tongue into Watanuki's navel and pressed soft kisses on his flat abdomen. The move felt so endearing that Watanuki felt his abdomen muscles quiver under those lips and his breath hitched with every touch.

Removing his fingers, Doumeki moved up to kiss the soft eyelid of the panting boy. "I'm going in."

Throwing all caution into the wind, he carefully thrust himself into Watanuki's opening.

Watanuki cried out and clung onto Doumeki's broad shoulders. Doumeki paused for a while to soothe the boy until Watanuki seemed to be wriggling his hips against Doumeki's.

He kissed the reddened cheek of Watanuki and held him close for a few moments before he began his thrusts.

The thrusts were slow and gentle at first before he increased his speed to a firm rhythm, wanting to feel the boy and take him completely.

"Ahh… ah… D-Doumeki…" Watanuki lifted his legs higher and hooked them around Doumeki's hips.

Doumeki was nearing his end and he began to speed up, stroking Watanuki's length in time to his thrusts. From the tightening of both Watanuki's legs around his hips _and_ his opening, Doumeki knew that Watanuki was near his too.

"D-Doume… I…" Doumeki thrust deep and hard quickly letting Watanuki find his release first.

Then, with a last few deep thrusts, he came inside Watanuki, holding the boy close the whole time.

-x-

* * *

A/n: (bows) I truly apologize for the long delay, if there are still any of my old readers reading this. I promised smut, but I also apologize if this was badly written or its kinda short.

If you are reading this, thank you. Drop me a review to let me know what you think ok? Feel free to improve my lemon. (smiles)


End file.
